Texas sends Amazon.com a $269 million tax bill

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc said Texas sent it a $269 million bill last month for uncollected sales taxes for purchases that its residents made through the online retailer.

Amazon.com Inc said in a filing on Friday that the state sent the company an assessment in September for uncollected sales taxes from December 2005 to December 2009, including interest and penalties.

Texas claimed Amazon should have collected sales taxes over that period.

“We believe that the State of Texas did not provide a sufficient basis for its assessment and that the assessment is without merit,” Amazon said in the filing.

Amazon has found itself under attack over sales tax collection as states deal with their budget deficits. In April, Amazon sued North Carolina’s department of revenue, claiming its demand for Amazon to turn over names and buying records of customers violated privacy laws.